Chapter Twenty-One #4
“She decides where she sleeps.” Luca answered simply as he finished with the blanket and stepped away.
He didn’t follow it with a lecture about pack expectations or turn the question into something bigger than I had asked.
Luca simply moved on as though choosing where to sleep was obvious, and I liked that more than I wanted to examine right then.
“Show me the solar setup.” I told Luca as I picked up my camera bag, needing something practical before my thoughts wandered too far ahead.
Luca led me into one of the driest interior rooms, where the solar system was modest but far better organized than I expected.
Panels on two repaired roofs fed into a battery bank housed safely inside, with a basic inverter and several protected outlets.
It wasn’t enough to run high-draw appliances constantly, but with sensible use there was easily enough power for camera batteries, a laptop, radios, phones, drives, and lights.
“You could charge two camera batteries at once here.” Luca explained as he pointed toward an outlet near a broad worktable beneath one of the brightest windows. “Maybe three, depending on the charger.”
“You already decided this table is mine.” I accused Luca as I ran one hand over the smooth surface, noticing both the useful natural light and the amount of room available for a laptop beside camera equipment.
“No.” Luca replied as he leaned one hip against the edge of the table. “I decided this table has good light.”
“And that outlet happens to be beside it.” I pointed out to Luca, gesturing toward the wall.
“It was already there.” Luca answered calmly, glancing toward the outlet as though he had nothing whatsoever to do with how convenient it suddenly looked.
“The chair?” I asked Luca as I gestured toward the sturdy wooden seat tucked beneath the table.
“Also already there.” Luca replied without hesitation.
“The sealed box sitting underneath it?” I asked Luca as I crouched and pointed toward the waterproof container.
“That might be new.” Luca admitted, finally giving himself away. I laughed and pulled the box closer, finding absorbent cloth lining the bottom and several silica packets already arranged inside.
“For camera equipment?” I asked Luca as I ran my thumb along the thick rubber seal.
“If you want it.” Luca answered as he stayed beside the table rather than turning the offer into something larger. “If not, we use it for something else.”
“You did all this since you met me?” I asked Luca as I looked up at him.
“Not all of it.” Luca replied with mock offense. “We already owned the box.”
“That was not the part I meant.” I reminded Luca as I sat back on my heels.
“I know.” Luca admitted, finally allowing himself to smile.
I looked around again at the cleared shelf, dry storage, worktable, useful natural light, and nearby power.
Luca had done enough to make the space useful to me without putting my belongings in it or pretending it was already mine. He had left the last part for me.
My six-o’clock radio check came faster than I expected.
Luca asked about the time twice during the afternoon without hovering over me, first while I photographed small frogs near a shaded water channel and again while we sorted through the herb room after he showed me which plants they kept for minor injuries.
At five forty, he appeared in the doorway carrying a cup of water.
“When is your check-in?” Luca asked as he handed the cup to me, briefly checking the radio clipped at my belt.
“Six.” I answered Luca as I checked my watch, surprised by how quickly the afternoon had disappeared between working outside and exploring the temple.
“Where do you get the clearest signal?” Luca asked, already turning his head toward the outer courtyard as though considering the possibilities.
“Usually higher ground or open canopy. You said the western wall works?” I asked Luca as I finished the water and set the cup on a nearby shelf.
“Usually.” Luca confirmed as he nodded toward the courtyard. “The upper terrace is worth trying too.”
“Lead the way.” I told Luca as I checked the radio once more and followed him outside.
We climbed a short set of stone steps to one of the more exposed terraces.
The canopy opened enough there that pale evening light reached the old wall, and the radio gave a reassuring burst of static when I switched channels.
Luca stayed several feet away while I adjusted the antenna, close enough to listen but not hovering over what I was doing.
“Base, this is Evie. Six o’clock check-in.” I spoke clearly into the radio, watching the small indicator flicker as the transmission went out.
Static answered first before Mara’s voice came through.
“Evie, base. Copy six o’clock. Status?” Mara asked over the radio, her voice flattened slightly by the speaker and broken by faint interference.
“Safe. No injuries. Staying overnight as planned.” I answered Mara while Luca listened from beside the wall.
“Any route changes?” Mara asked through another crackle of static.
“Nothing major. Still inside the marked zone, closer to the old stonework than the field shelter.” I answered Mara, giving her the part that actually mattered without explaining what the stonework contained.
“Copy. Morning plan?” Mara asked after a brief hiss from the radio.
“I’ll work the upper stream early, update you before I start back, and I’m still expecting to return before ten.” I answered Mara, catching Luca’s small nod from the edge of my vision.
“Good. Weather may move in after midnight, but nothing severe on the last update.” Mara warned through the speaker. “Keep the radio dry.”
“Will do. Evie out.” I answered Mara before releasing the button.
“Mara clear.” Mara replied through the radio, and the channel returned to static. Luca stayed silent until we started back toward the stairs.
“That’s it?” Luca asked as he glanced toward the radio at my hip.
“That’s it.” I answered Luca as I clipped it securely onto my belt and started down.
“So if you don’t give her the morning update, she notices.” Luca said as he descended beside me, clearly making sure he understood rather than asking me to repeat every detail of station procedure.
“Exactly. And if she can’t reach me when she expects to, that’s when she starts worrying.” I answered Luca as we reached the courtyard.
“Tavian said six had to mean six.” Luca added as he rested one hand briefly against the railing.
“He remembered.” I told Luca, unable to stop the smile that appeared.
“He made sure we all knew.” Luca replied as he glanced back toward the terrace. “We’ll figure out more than one place around here where you can get a reliable signal.”
“That would actually be useful.” I admitted to Luca, because that kind of help made my existing system easier instead of replacing it.
“I can do useful.” Luca answered, looking entirely too pleased with himself as we headed toward the living rooms. The last of the daylight had started fading beyond the courtyard walls, leaving the repaired rooms warmer and brighter than the forest gathering around them.
Somewhere deeper in the temple, one of the small lights had already been switched on, and the smell of whatever Luca had planned for dinner drifted faintly through the open doorway.
For the first time since I had arrived in the rainforest, darkness was settling over the trees and I wasn’t calculating how long it would take me to reach the station before it became difficult to see the trail.
I wasn’t going back tonight.
I was staying here.